About 50 people protesting the coup in Myanmar called for the release of the country’s leaders; for the military rulers to respect the vote; and for a return to democracy.
By Saturday, advocacy groups estimated at least 80 people had been killed by the military during opposition protests and more than 2000 people had been detained.
The Otago Daily Times agreed not to name Dunedin’s protest organiser because he said it would put his family in Myanmar at risk of reprisals.
He used a megaphone to tell the crowd at the Dunedin Railway Station on Saturday morning about the violence awaiting people who were striking or taking part in civil disobedience.
"They are shooting people; they are shooting people in the head," the organiser said.
"This is 2021, we want an open and democratic society. We want freedom."
Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party won a landslide victory in the polls last year.
But Myanmar’s military rulers have, without providing evidence, accused her of corruption, and illegally accepting money, including 11kg of gold.
In February, Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced New Zealand was suspending all high level political contact with Myanmar, placing restrictions on aid, and a travel ban on Myanmar’s leaders.
An earlier planned Dunedin demonstration was called off at the end of February, due to Covid-19 Level 2 restrictions.
